Sunday, December 11, 2011

For those of you who missed Rick Perry's most recent and controversial political ad, here it is:

"I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a Christian, but you don't need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.
As President, I'll end Obama's war on religion. And I'll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage.
Faith made America strong. It can make her strong again.
I'm Rick Perry and I approve this message."

Political GOLD. What was he thinking? He may actually be dumber than George W. Bush and Sarah Palin. It's actually impressive! And conservatives wonder why the Republican Party cannot be taken seriously anymore, even with a relatively unpopular Democrat as President. They're lost.

This video begs the questions... what is actually wrong with gays serving in the military? Literally, what is wrong with that?

Secondly, why the hell should kids be able to openly pray in public schools? Do these neoconservatives have any respect for the separation of Church and State? What about the kids that don't share their faith? Why can't people worship on their own time? Besides, it's not like kids actually want to pray in school. 95% of the time they're being forced to, and have no idea why they're doing it.

Leave any answers to these questions in the comment section, please!

Anyways, I came across this hilarious parody of the Rick Perry ad which really underscores everything ridiculous about the ad, Perry, and the Jesus-freak Party as it is today:

Very, very funny. Trust me on this. Enjoy and tell me what you think, world!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Disregard the corporate-influenced Conservative and Media spin-off of these protestors "Not knowing what they're protesting about", "being dirty, smelly hippies", or "lazy whiners". They would have you believe that Occupy Wall Street (and their counterparts from cities around the world) protestors are enduring police beatings, pepper spray to the face, tasings, arrests, nights in jail, acquiring criminal records, cold nights in crammed encampments, giving up the comforts of their homes for days/weeks, and other sacrifices just to hear themselves "whine" and because they are too lazy to work. Really? I've never heard of someone being so dedicated to laziness.

Was this really necessary? Is this freedom of speech? Has the U.S. become a "Police State"?

We can't compete with Corporate America on their terms in the current political system. Our lawyers aren't as good, our pockets not deep enough to have our politicians actually work for us. All we have is our numbers and our votes, and our votes only get us so far since 99% of politicians only seem to answer to their biggest donors. So, all we have is our numbers. We dissolve that, at this crucial moment, and we will only enbolden those who use their influence to quite literally squeeze us like sponges.

Here's a prime example of the type of corporate corruption allowed to take place in our country by which the OWS movement are so enraged. A number of Corporations have coalesced with Congress to dishonestly horde the pension/retirement money promised to their workers through legal loopholes, and then later complain that it is "too expensive" to take care of their retired employees.

This interview on The Daily Show with investigative journalist Ellen Schultz explains this outrageous, dishonest greed, and the way that the super-rich are able to use their resources to manipulate the system:

What are your thoughts? How do you feel about the Occupy Wall Street movement, whether it be here. or the demonstrations outside of the U.S.? What are your reactions to the videos I've posted?
I appreciate your feedback and continued support!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

"I have a friend (call him Joe) that is in charge of HR at a company around here. Another guy in our group is really struggling financially (Mike), and Joe thinks he should hire Mike rather than someone more qualified. Thoughts?"

Poor Fredo... He was looked over too.

Hi Scott,
Thanks for reading and asking your question. Now, are you talking about not hiring someone more qualified from within the company or outside the company?

If the person purportedly more qualified is from outside the company, then I think it makes his decision a lot easier to promote Mike, who knows how the company works from the inside more than an outsider, and has been a loyal employee for some time. It is normal to reward loyalty and membership with the trust of promotion to an opening position.

If the person who is supposedly more qualified is also an employee of this company, like Mike, then it makes the question a little more difficult. Now, to be clear, it is always a nice, positive thing to do to help someone who is struggling financially. So, in that case already, Joe is doing a good thing. Now, does Mike deserve it? Maybe not over this other, more qualified gentleman. But, what makes him more qualified? Is the difference in experience/skills that considerable? These can be important questions.

All in all, it is Joe's job in HR to appoint people to positions as he sees fits (or, so it seems based on what you have said). So, if Mike will not be up to par in this position, Joe may take heat for it. In either case, it is his call, and somehow he earned the trust of your company to make that call. So, in that sense, I respect Joe's choice, especially since it seems to be for benevolent reasons.

If there is more important information that I am not considering, please let me know and I will further address the situation. Thanks again for reading, and readers, you may leave more questions if you have them!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Republicans sure now how to pick 'em, don't they? Here is another example of a numbskull, elected by numbskulls. Luckily, Governor Perry's Presidential hopes finally look dead in the water because of this...

LOL. Wow. One of the most important issues in his campaign, something that he has continuously driven home in the past, and he forgets it on public television. Just goes to show that if you don't really believe in what you are spewing (or even do any research to learn about it), your talking points can easily "slip your mind".

Embarrassing, Republicans. Looks like Mit Romney is your man for 2012, as much as many of you do not want him to be. How ironic that the Christian, Jesus-freak circus that has become the modern Republican Party will now have to throw their support behind a Mormon. But, don't be so sore. Your faith in such fake, ignorant idiots (and lack of faith in the authentic, informed Ron Paul) will ensure that President Burak Obama will get his second term in office. I lol'd.

GW Bush 2.0 has been shelved. Adios Guv'nah.

What do you guys make of this gaffe? Do you agree that Rick Perry's campaign for the Republican nomination is dead? Leave your feedback!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Hi Deso,
To answer your question: Of course evolution should be taught in school. It is clear that evolution is a scientific fact. It is very unfortunate that many of the conservative/Republican politicians that help make the laws in the United States do not believe in evolution, or say idiotic things like "The jury's still out on evolution", which is a direct quote from the benighted ex-President George W. Bush. So ashamed.

Anyways, just like any scientific fact, it should be taught in Science classes and any other class where it may be applicable to the topic. It is incredible that some people still do not believe in evolution when we see evidence of evolution all the time. One great example of swiftly-developed, modern-day evolution is MRSA or "super bacteria" that are resistant to often several different forms of anti-biotics.

bbc.co.uk explains how this works:

"It's all about survival of the fittest - the basic principle of evolution. Bacteria have been around a lot longer than us, so they're pretty good at it.

There are countless different strains of a single type of bacteria, and each has subtle natural genetic mutations that make it different from another. In addition, bacterial genes are constantly mutating.

Some strains' genetic makeup will give them a slight advantage when it comes to fighting off antibiotic attack. So when susceptible strains encounter antibiotics they die, while these naturally resistant strains may prove harder to kill. This means the next time you encounter S.aureus, it's more likely to be one that has survived an antibiotic encounter, (i.e. a resistant one). Eventually, the strain becomes resistant to different antibiotics, even though they work in slightly different ways.

When you are prescribed antibiotics, you are advised to finish the entire course. If you don't do this, there's a chance that you'll kill most of the bugs but not all of them - and the ones that survive are likely to be those that have adapted to be more resistant to antibiotics"

And that is proof for the biological phenomenon of evolution. It is not a question of faith, but of observable fact derived from the efforts of science. Deso, I hope I have answered your question. As always, please leave all questions and reactions of this post, or any other ethical questions you'd like addressed by your humble servant.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

I will now answer one or two of your questions per blog post, when I'm not discussing topics of my personal choice. You may add your responses to my comments, or other ethical questions you may want me to address in the future to in the commenting section. Without further ado...

Berserculesasked: "Should I care about those that don't care"

It would appear to me that you should only care about what you want to care about. If you want to care about people who "don't care", then by all means, do so. If you do not, then it is your life, and you do not need to care about them if you do not want to. Would caring for others in almost any situation be a positive, compassionate thing to do to? Yes, of course. But, I personally think you should always do what you want, as long as what you want is not harmful to others. With that said, if you have people which you are committed to caring for, such as your children, then you should certainly continue caring for them. Remember that your "dependents" depend on you.

What Would LOLJesus Do?

I hope this answers you question. If you were talking about something else in particular, Bersercules, please tell me what that was so that I may more accurately answer your question. And that goes for all others who would like questions answered. Please be specific with what you want me to address. Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Do you have any ethical questions/debates that need sorting, even in your personal life? Do you want to know if you or someone else was right or wrong in a situation from an unbiased source such as myself? Leave the details here and I will blog about them and let you know who's right. Only honest, thoughtful answers can be expected from your humble servant! The scales of justice never lie in my hands!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Thank you so much for the thoughtful responses, guys. Many of you agreed with me and shared great insight. For some of you (besides ZR) who have disagreed, here are my responses:

@ZR, I appreciate your thoughtful (and controversial) post. I agree with pretty much everything you had to say. Thanks for your input!Vengence7timessaid:"I can see both sides of the argument, but I think that it is a good idea to kill someone, who aims on killing others, so you are killing them, to save other people's lives."

Publius: And what if the person being executed turns out to be innocent, as has happened many many times before? Still a good idea? Any sure-fire away to avoid that happening again? Didn't think so.

Morph1n3 said:"On my behalf I believe that they should keep the death penalty. For example if you rape someone for the 1st time. Get thrown in jail. 2nd time you get your pp cut off and 3rd time. Death Penalty. Kindda went off topic but ya :)"

Publius: How are you going to rape someone a third time if you already had your "pp" cut off? lol.

By the way, I'd hate to have my "pp" cut off/executed if I was one of the many men who was falsely accused of rape because, for example, a girl didn't have the bravery to tell her parents that she got pregnant because she was having premarital sex. And, I personally know of a case of a man being incarcerated for many years for just that happening personally. Imagine that being you?

1HipHopBlog said: "The topic of should it still be used is a big debate, but it should only happen with allot of hard evidence is towards the person.There is a reason that we have the death penalty. And yes I do think that what happened to Troy Davis was tragic and horrible, for a man, whom all the evidence against him became moot, to still be killed. That is a fault of the people in the system not the laws. The death penalty not only acts as a way to rid the society as a whole of people who are past rehabilitation, but as a deterrent for those who would commit crimes if there wasn't such a punishment for doing them"

Publius:Perhaps, if there is video evidence of a man killing someone, I'd allow for the death penalty. Or possibly a taped confession and a massive amount of evidence corroborating the confession. But even then, you never know. What if the cops/feds put him up to it and it was a set-up?

As long as people continue to lie, have faulty memory, racism remains a factor, corrupt law enforcement, having crafty lawyers/not being able to afford good lawyers etc. there will be innocent people executed for crimes they never committed, as there has always been. And that is terrible reality, and one that should not be allowed since we can not determine the innocence of a man with any certainty without having video footage of it happening, really. People should be kept alive to have the chance to be able to clear their name and gain freedom, unless there is evidence that puts it beyond ANY doubt. Also, research has shown that the death penalty doesn't serve as a significant deterrent to violent crimes at all. So, you can scratch that as well.

Thanks again for following my blog, I appreciate all feedback!

I have the honor to be affectionately and respectfully your humble servant,Publius

Monday, September 26, 2011

On September 21st, 2011, Troy Davis was controversially executed by lethal injection at the behest of the U.S. State of Georgia. Many people believed him innocent of the crime for which he was incarcerated for the span of the last 20 years. The international community, especially many of the nations of the European Union, widely condemned the execution, as well as the institution of the death penalty in general.

People protesting the execution of Troy Davis in Paris, France

Now, there are many instances in U.S. history (and certainly in the history of other nations) where people executed by the state were later found innocent, be it from new DNA evidence, or somebody later confessing to the crime, government/judicial corruption etc. With this in mind, imagine how it must feel to be that wrongly-accused person. Possibly spending 20 years of your life or more in prison, your reputation tarnished, your family ashamed and/or devastated that their loved one lost their freedom and is on death row, and later being killed by the State for a crime of which you are entirely innocent. Can you think of a more terrible reality? I truly pity these people, the feeling of helplessness and injustice must be unbearably heartbreaking.

With that in mind, how can anyone be in support of the death penalty? If these wrongful convictions happen even once in the history of our justice system, the death penalty should be abolished. However, it has happened more times than we will ever know, and will repeatedly happen, as long as people remain imperfect. Considering that the death penalty has not proven to be a useful deterrent to committing violent crimes, and it's supposedly more expensive to execute someone than to actually keep them alive in prison, then I just don't see how anyone with a functioning sense of reason can continue to support this truly barbaric institution.

Could be you, whether you committed a crime or not.

What's your opinion? Do you find my arguments compelling? Should the death penalty continue to be implemented in the U.S., as well as other countries around the world, as long as our justice systems remain decidedly imperfect? Please respond with a thoughtful comment discussing your opinion.

I have the privilege to be affectionately and respectfully your humble servant,Publius

Monday, September 19, 2011

Well, it seems like only yesterday that I was celebrating 150 followers, and here we are at 200! Very happy about that, thank you for continuing to follow this blog with all of your great feedback!

I also want to thank all of you for providing feedback about your 9/11 memories. Unfortunately, a lot of you were too young at the time to really get a sense of the gravity of the situation, but I still got a decent grasp of how my international readers and their respective communities responded to the attacks. It's always interesting to see how people from a different nation view your nation, and I like to widen my perspective. Thanks again.

Honored to be affectionately and respectfully your humble servant,Publius

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Here are several pieces of live footage from various news networks showing the 2nd plane crashing into the South Tower of the World Trade Center and live footage of both towers collapsing, with the corresponding journalist's shocked reactions. They serve as a powerful reminder of the atrocities committed that morning. Watching them again rejuvenated my rage and sadness on that fateful day:

The purpose of this post is to get feedback from all of my readers, whether a U.S. citizen, or a citizen of any country outside of the United States . These are my questions...

Question #1: Where were you on 9/11/01?
I was in my senior year of high school in Spanish class. Got sent home early. Spent the rest of the day watching CNN and talking to people. People in the States were clearly very angry, upset and patriotically-unified following these surprise terrorist attacks.

I, myself, knew that we had, by far, the most powerful military in the world, and I was eagerly-awaiting a swift and comprehensive retaliation for these reprehensible attacks that happened only an hour's drive away from my home. This knee-jerk, emotional reaction was probably shared by many Americans, which made it so easy for President Bush to get Americans to give our full support to a war in Iraq, unfortunately.

Question #2: For people outside of the United States during 9/11/01... How was the news received in your particular country? Were you or your community affected emotionally? Please explain in the comment section.

I'm sure that some of the responses on here might vary. Please be very honest, as I'd like an accurate reading of your nation's initial reactions. Please identify the country/community you are reporting from as well. I very much look forward to hearing from you all.

In remembrance of those who lost their lives as a result of the 9/11 attacks, and all the brave individuals who risked their lives to help their fellow man... I am affectionately and respectfully your humble servant, Publius

Friday, September 9, 2011

Swiftly approaching the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the long-awaited 9/11 Memorial is about to be available for public viewing. The key feature of this tribute will be cascading waterfalls peacefully pouring down the two reflecting pools found inside the original "footprints" of the Twin Towers, with each footprint surrounded by 2,983 names of the victims of the attacks, engraved on bronze panels.

A artists rendition of how the "footprints" will look

More details/footage about the memorial can be explored by viewing the video/article found on this page:

You need passes reserved in advance to view the 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero, which can be secured online at 911memorial.org. The passes are free, and over 300,000 people from every state of the Union, as well as visitors from 65 different countries have already reserved their tickets. It is interesting to me that this memorial is such a draw globally, especially living so near NYC.

Also, I advise everyone to be safe and vigilant this weekend as "credible" terrorist threats to New York City and Washington D.C. have been reported and seriously considered by the highest levels of the U.S. Government. Please, report any suspicious activities to authorities.

With that said, do enjoy your weekend, from wherever it is you are reading.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

As promised, we return to this video to discuss other points Maher brought up (starting especially around 3:20 into the video). Are we spending too much of our tax dollars in the wrong places? It does appear that way too much of our budget goes to our wildly-bloated military. Of course, I want the U.S. to be safe, but the amount of money spent on our defense dwarfs that of any other nation. It's overkill.

Additionally, it is clear that the "War on drugs" cannot ever be won decisively. It is a massive waste of money, the main cause of gang violence on our streets, and a terrible distraction from other crimes worth fighting and investigating. Why commit such a considerable segment of our law enforcement resources to a lost cause, when these individuals can be better stationed guarding the streets against murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and terrorists, for example? (More on that in a separate post)

Shouldn't more funding go towards bettering education, healthcare, and creating jobs with green energy industries? I feel that, regardless of what Conservatives say, they will tax the hell out of us. They always want smaller Government until they are in charge, so don't believe the hype. So, if we're going to be taxed to hell regardless, shouldn't we put that money towards programs that will improve our standard of living, rather than buying the military new, multimillion dollar toys, and fighting wars that cannot be won?

What do you guys think? Leave your thoughts, and I'd especially like to hear from Europeans and others from outside the United States that have experience with more Socialist-leaning governments than ours. I understand that no system is perfect, and Europe has its problems as well. I'd like to hear the pros and cons from your point of view.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Religious people will probably tell you that the reason for this potentially very destructive Hurricane coming up the east coast of the U.S. is because "It is part of God's plan". Hmmm... Would somebody please explain to me why the perfect, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God feels that it is a good idea to send a destructive hurricane to destroy our homes and kill many of us?

"Hmmm... You know what the east coast of the U.S. hasn't had in awhile? A devestating hurricane. Let's make that happen."

God works in mysterious ways, of course. Nothing like a perfect, all-loving, super logical being to "mysteriously" and randomly throw destructive obstacles in our human ant-farm. It couldn't just be naturally occurring weather patterns. Nah, it couldn't be.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Do the American people really secretly love socialized programs? As Bill Maher demonstrates in this clip of a recent segment of "New Rules", certainly many of the detractors (Often Teabaggers and other conservatives) of Socialized programs and "big government" ignorantly and/or hypocritically denounce such programs, while shamelessly taking advantage of them. If we don't love big-government ran programs, then we certainly often happily rely on them.

What do you guys think? Leave your thoughts, both American and international opinions are welcome!

(We will revisit this video in the next post to tackle a separate issue raised by Bill Maher.)

I am affectionately and respectfully your humble servant,

Publius

*For those who can't view the embedded video, here's the link to it:
http://www.hbo.com/real-time-with-bill-maher/index.html

Saturday, August 6, 2011

What are we going to do now? Nicki Minaj's left nipple has been exposed on public television. How can we, as Americans, possibly move forward from this? Somebody must apologize for this scandalous demonstration of state-of-the-art plastic surgery to the American public.

ABC says in a statement: “We are sorry that this occurred.”

Damn right, you're sorry. How am I going to erase the image of this woman's nipple from my memory? How are babies that saw this nipple going to recover from the trauma of thinking that were about to be fed, only to remain tragically malnourished? How are we supposed to explain to our children that you need bags of saline to make a titty look that hard and perky? What about all the 11-year-old boys that were playing hookie from school that day, only to see their first fake titty? These are the pressing questions that we must now answer, unfortunately, in this post 8/5 America.

God forbid someone sees the nipple on that synthetic titty!

Luckily, we have the Parents Television Council to save the day. Refer to this timely and necessary statement from the organization, "For the umpteenth time in recent memory a morning news show has included inappropriate content for children and families. Instead of asking for forgiveness, they need to stop apologizing and implement the five second delay that so many Americans have been calling for."

Indeed. God forbid the American Public has to endure the devastation of yet another fleetingly-visible nipple. This must end NOW.

My heart goes out to all the families who were innocently hoping to enjoy a wholesome performance from Young Money artist Nicki Minaj, only to be horrifically betrayed by her exhibitionist, left knocker on that fateful morning. This blog stands as a testament of your courage during these trying times.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

This doesn't exactly fit the specific topics of this blog, but it is peripherally related and very interesting, regardless. This video report from CNN discusses some of the intimate details of the raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound by the U.S. Navy SEALs. It includes details of how they entered the compound, who they encountered on the way (and dispatched of the sorry bastards), and finally, how they exterminated that pesky insect Osama Bin Laden. It also discusses the President's reaction immediately following the declaration of Bin Laden's death, as well as other interesting details.

I'd like to commend the U.S. Navy SEALs for their bravery and efficiency in this mission. To my readers... Enjoy, and share your thoughts!

IF the video isn't working, as I think it might not for some of you, here is a direct link: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2011/08/02/exp.tsr.todd.bin.laden.raid.cnn?

Thursday, July 28, 2011

So, you can apparently pray your homosexuality away? I'm glad somebody cleared that up for us.

This is the opinion of Conservative commentator Anne Coulter, an outlook shared by the husband of Tea Party presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann (and, you'd have to assume, the Michele herself). This seems to be a common belief amongst the neoconservative evangelicals that have become such a rampant plague on the American political scene in more recent years. Their general ignorance of scientific fact, coupled with their complete reliance on the contradictory stories of the ancient Bible to explain phenomena in the universe, has helped lead to an unfortunate halt in being able to solve any of the pressing issues of our species, from the national and global level. The discussion has instead deteriorated into a conceptual gridlock between the educated, and those who believe that all of the species on Earth have survived to this day due to the excellent ship-building skills of Noah.

But, more about some of these topics in another post. Right now, I want to quickly discuss some of Coulter's quotes from the interview, which I'm still finding hard to completely understand, but perhaps some of you can help me.

My reactions to some of Anne Coulter's recent comments:

Coulter: "You can pray gay away."

Publius:Really!? As Behar rightly pointed out, a heterosexual can't "pray" their disposition to heterosexuality away. This is an instinct that one is born with. Even if one is able to temporarily control their sexual lifestyle for a period of time, they will never cease being heterosexual if they were born that way. They will still have the same carnal urges and attractions that they had before prayer, therapy, and/or lifestyle choices.

The same holds true for homosexuals. Those who claim to have "cured" themselves may deny their sexual instincts, date only the opposite sex, and never have a same-sex relationship again. This does not mean that they are no longer truly and naturally homosexual.

This, of course, is a terribly damaging thing to do to yourself and others, as well. If you are a gay man, and you marry a heterosexual woman in an effort to be considered "normal", or to help your career (which has been the situation with several closet-case politicians and clergymen, especially those of the far-right), you are not only putting yourself through undue suffering, but stringing your wife along in a false love, stealing her youth, perhaps even giving her children when you were never truly attracted to her. Eventually, when this gay man comes out of the closet, there will be much regret and suffering because of these decisions. A terrible thing, to live a lie, for everyone involved.

But, this is what many evangelical neoconservatives would have you do. Sweet advice!

Coulter: "Well, that would be weird, praying the straight away. But you can pray stuff away!"

Publius: LOL. The good old neoconservative bigotry blurting out clumsily. It sure would be "weird" to pray away heterosexuality because heterosexuality is "normal" and "natural." But, it isn't weird to "pray away" homosexuality, because that's "weird", "perverted" and "wrong" (Jesus said so. I think.)
[/sarcasm]

Of course, homosexuality is really a naturally-occurring sexual disposition that one is born with, but don't inject scientific fact into a debate, or God might get mad. And if God actually does exist, and created these individuals, why would he create them gay? Seems awfully unfair to me to create someone who is genetically predisposed to go to hell (as the belief goes) and expect them to earn a place in heaven. But, I forgot... "God works in mysterious ways!"*

*(The Bible's "elastic clause." Alexander Hamilton would be proud!)

Coulter: "I want heterosexual men (in the military), men who could be firemen"

Publius: Because homosexual men are obviously unable to put out a fire. I've heard some dumb shit in my life, but this...What does she even mean by that? This woman is a fountain of stupidity, and her cup has runeth over.

Coulter: "(Wanting open gays in military is) a fad among liberals."

Publius: Yup. It's the latest craze. You dizzy, bigoted bitch.

All real quotes you can watch for yourself on the embedded video found below. And, I know I'm being a little harsh on Anne, as she's clearly just a sensationalist, neocon mouthpiece that probably doesn't believe half of the stuff she spews, like Bill O'Reilly. We can only hope. Nevertheless, shockingly mind-numbing stuff from that one. Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.
- Publius

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Good thing I didn't waste the last threeyears of my life not minding my own business, listening to these insufferable shrews Nancy Grace and Jane Velez-Mitchell incessantly yammer on obnoxiously about the most mundane, frivolous details regarding this trial, or I might be pretty upset right now about the verdict.

Instead, I wisely didn't spend every night staring at Grace's and Velez-Mitchell's miserable, chomping mugs, which seem to be forever frozen in a permanent scowl, as if by some ill-fated curse from the Gods of Mt. Olympus, that illustrates the fact that they are the most unbearable, screeching blowhards to ever find themselves in front of a television camera. Well, perhaps besides Glenn Beck.

"Tot-Mom! Tot-Mom! blah! blah! derp! derpity! derp! RAWR! Tot-Mom!"

Thank the Lord (for lack of a better phrase), that I have been born with enough sense to not voluntarily endure that self-inflicted torment. My parents, unfortunately, were clearly not conceived with this valuable instinct, as they went ahead and spent much of the last three years of their lives braving this unnecessary inferno. What they call "compassion" and "curiosity", I call masochism, but so it is.

That said, of course it is unfortunate that this little girl does not seem destined for justice, but the media attention given this trial has always perplexed me, as does similar murder/abduction/missing person "news". What makes it more newsworthy than others? These sort of things happen all the time! Surely, the fact that the victim is a white, little girl gives it more mass appeal in this country, Canada, Europe, etc. Meanwhile, children of minority backgrounds are murdered all the time under rather despicable circumstances, but Nancy and Jane could not be bothered.

Better to spend three years ranting about the same case, and all for it to end in anti-climactic disappointment for most involved. Oh well. Time to sensationally beat another dead horse, I suppose. Back to work, ladies.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Damas y Caballeros, welcome to The Incisive Meditations of Publius. The title, as you might have guessed, is a tribute to Alexander Hamilton, arguably the most important founding father of these United States of America, and possibly the greatest mind this nation has ever produced. The nomdeplume, "Publius", was shared by James Madison, John Jay, and most prominently, Alexander Hamilton in the authoring of the famous and ever-influential Federalist Papers. Of these 85 historic essays, Gen. Hamilton is credited with penning 51 of them. With this in mind, it is my distinct honor to take upon this pen name for myself. However, instead of trying to convince a fledgling nation to accept a new form of government, I will be about the business of persuading the masses to think a little more like me, for what it's worth. And I think it's worth something.

But, enough about me, for now. As mentioned, this being the inaugural post of this blog, I would like to speak very briefly about the great services rendered and legacy left behind by Gen. Alexander Hamilton, if for no other purpose than because his praises are not sung enough. Hamilton was born a very poor child in the British West Indies, his father deserting him and his mother passing away before the age of 13 (for our purposes, his true age debated). From these humble beginnings, he went on to become the most influential man in the President Washington's Administration, and arguably the most powerful. The quintessential American story, in stark contrast to many of his political rivals, who were of the privileged, aristocratic, land-owning (and slave-owning) class.

Hamilton's special combination of natural brilliance, thorough education, manic energy, inflexible certainty in his ideas, and his obsessive drive to see them become reality led to one of the most impressive and important periods in our nation's development. It is because of this remarkable performance in leadership and industry that Gen. Hamilton is considered by many historians as "The Father of the Federal Government", and rightfully so. Unfortunately, he is often maligned by the more benighted among us, but what they fail to realize is that without Hamilton's work, we would probably been returned to the status of British subjects following the War of 1812. Of course, we would have eventually severed ties again, but it would have been a massive inconvenience!

"Hamilton is really a colossus...Without numbers, he is a host within himself."

- Thomas Jefferson

In any case, it is clear that Hamilton's vision of the United States was the one that later materialized, rather than Jefferson's hopes that we would become one continental union of slave-owning farmers. Stupid Jefferson. You figure with him owning over 300 people, he would have leisure time to do a little homework! Speaking on the subject, I do find Hamilton's clever jab at Jefferson and Madison (supposed champions of individual liberty) rather amusing: "As to the negroes, you must be tender upon the subject … Who talk most about liberty and equality? Is it not those who hold the Bill of Rights in one hand and a whip for affrighted slaves in the other?"

Ouch. There is much more to Mr. Hamilton's story, accomplishments, and legacy than I can ever do proper justice in a single blog. Indeed, why say more when someone has already done it better? With that in mind, I will provide links that will direct you to a two-part editorial, giving you a much better account of why Alexander Hamilton should be your favorite Founding Father. This blog is dedicated to your memory, Gen. Hamilton. The United States is forever in your debt (no pun intended).

"The Case for Alexander Hamilton" parts I and II, written ever-so-eloquently by Andreas Kluth, contributor to The Economist. Enjoy, and learn something!:

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About Me

I like to debate about politics(generally Progressive-minded), ethical dilemmas, and just about anything else worth arguing about.
I also have a comedy blog up and running. Follow it for frequent laughs! Big Futbol fan too, Real Madrid and USA supporter.